“Agh!” Wincing, she brought two fingers from each hand to her temples and rubbed them in slow circular motions.
Kong stirred from being stretched out on her couch behind her; the bottle of tequila still rested in his hands. He’d faced a few blunts and started drinking from the bottle after Inari passed out. She saw that she had several missed calls and messages, but the one that stood out was the voicemail from a local number that wasn’t saved. She did business with a lot of people in town, so she didn’t always save numbers, but this one left a message, so she tapped to play it. It was the medical examiner asking for a call back. She hit redial, and someone picked up on the second ring.
“Medical examiner’s office,” a monotone woman’s voice answered.
“Hi.” Inari cleared her froggy throat. “This is Inari Jacobs. I received a call.”
“Yes, Ms. Jacobs. Very sorry to bother you. Condolences to you and your family. The ME wanted me to give you a call to see if you could come down and pick up a few items along with the autopsy report. Should I tell him to expect you?”
“Um…” Inari rubbed the back of her neck, and tears filled her eyes.
Yesterday wasn’t a nightmare. This was real. Her sister was dead.
“Yeah, I can do that. Let me get dressed, and I’ll be right there.”
“I will let him know. Thank you so much, and again, so sorry for your loss.”
Staring at the phone when the call ended, Inari’s hands shook.
“Who was that?” Kong asked, turning his legs and placing his feet on the carpet.
He was still fully dressed, although wrinkled, as he pinched sleep from his eyes.
“The medical examiner. I have to pick up a few things, and they want to deliver the autopsy report.”
“You ready for that?” Kong asked, and Inari’s head swung in his direction.
She hesitated before bowing her head.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“You want me to go with you?” Kong offered.
“Can you?” Inari peered up at him helplessly.
As much as she hated it, she wanted Moose to be there. He’d become her safe space until he wasn’t. Now, all she could think about was his face behind that mask and the robbery. How could he do that to her? How could he sit in her face lying all this time on top of that? Nothing felt real between them after knowing that.
Kong cared for her sister, regardless of anything else, and the baby she carried was his. In a weird way, he was kind of family now, even if they were no longer here. Inari had to take comfort in that since she didn’t have anyone else.
“Yeah,” he agreed, nodding.
She showered for ten minutes before she hopped out, brushed her teeth, and flossed. Quickly washing her face, she chose a burnt orange two-piece jogger set with a pair of matching Chanel sneakers to change into before leaving the house. Kong drove, and the ride was quiet. Nearly an hour after the call, he whipped his truck into the parking lot of the examiner’s office and parked. Inari trembled, staring at the building. She damn sure wasn’t ready for this. Kong had indulged her with a smoke session on the drive, but instead of calming her down like it normally would, it only made her more anxious.
Stepping out of the car, they approached the building together, and he held the main entrance door open for her. The cold draft from the air conditioning smacked them in the face upon entry. Antiseptic and the smell of paper lingered in the air. Everything was wiped down. Clean. Too damn clean and quiet.
“Can I help you?” The receptionist behind the entry desk popped her gum, eyes gamboling from Inari to Kong.
She had the nerve to let them linger over him and appraise his handsome physique very obviously. With a short, blunt cut bob in a fiery red and a septum piercing in her nose, her slanted jet-black eyes pierced Inari, and she popped her gum again.
“I’m here to…” Inari struggled to get the words out.
Clearing her throat, she tried again.
“My name is Inari Jacobs.”
“Oh, Ms. Jacobs!” The girl recognized her, and suddenly, her voice sounded familiar.
She was the woman who contacted her earlier. Inari had no idea this was the person on the other side of the phone. She was covered in as many tattoos as Moose and his brothers too.
